the joy of strength training

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Why you should full squat

» by September 2nd, 2009 at 1:29 pm » Comments (21)

Full squat means ‘ass to grass’, getting down as far as you can go. I’ve written before about squat depth and concluded that squatting as deep as you can safely is best for bringing the benefits of the squat to the greatest number of people. But is this enough? Is this all we should be […]



Mystery of the squat

» by August 13th, 2009 at 11:18 am » Comments (22)

At the time of writing I have not written a ‘how to’ on the squat, although I’ve written one for most of the other major exercises. This is because to me, it is a huge topic and I am not sure how I would approach it and attempt to do it justice. So instead, I […]



How low should I squat?

» by November 22nd, 2008 at 7:16 pm » Comments (21)

Photo credit: weightlifting365.com This is a very common question on strength training forums and it is not surprising. Across all the sports and activities that involve squatting, each seems to have a different rule or convention: Olympic weightlifters squat very deep but their load is in a different position (not on the back) and the […]



How-to: Front squat

» by October 5th, 2008 at 5:21 pm » Comments (24)

The front squat is a very useful exercise that is not often seen in the average gym. But it is unjustly neglected and some coaches even prefer it to the back squat. What is a front squat? Holding the bar across the front of your shoulders, squat down until your hips are below parallel and […]



How-to: Overhead squat

» by March 25th, 2008 at 12:27 am » Comments (30)

The overhead squat is one of the most challenging lifts in weight training, short of the olympic lifts themselves. If you want to try something a bit different, give it a go. You’ll soon find out what real core stability is! What is the overhead squat? The overhead squat is a deep squat performed while […]



Other strength websites (1)

» by January 12th, 2008 at 4:03 am » Comments (4)

People often go on about how much crap there is on the internet, especially when it comes to strength training. But amongst all the rubbish are some real gems, and I will be highlighting my favourite sites on here from time to time. To start with, here are five sites you’ll love if you have […]



Olympic weightlifting: starting out

» by December 10th, 2007 at 5:57 pm » Comments (13)

Strength exercises to prepare you for olympic weightlifting